So This Is Fairy Tail
by The 8th Stone
Summary: A series of oneshots centering around the characters of Fairy Tail: 3. A Midsummer Nightmare "They told Levy hosting a play was a bad idea. She and Erza just wouldn't listen." —NaLu, GraJu, GaLev, JelEr, and ElfEv, pre-TimeSkip AU
1. Choice

**title:** Choice  
><strong>summary:<strong> So I guess this is goodbye, Luce. –Natsu/Lucy  
><strong>prompt:<strong> "What are you so desperate for?"  
><strong>pairing(s):<strong> Lucy/Natsu  
><strong>dedication:<strong> To Dennis. Thank you for being a great friend. :)

**a/n:** These prompts are supposed to be for the SasuSaku Month of 2011. Buuut I want to write some Fairy Tail fanfic. (Hope they don't mind…) So.  
>This will be an anthology sort of thing, though the pairings will vary. Updates will probably be infrequent too.<br>Warning: Possible OOCness ahead.

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Natsu appeared in her room. Again.

"Lucy, I—"

"Get out." She stomped past him. "Get out of my room."

"Luce—"

"GET OUT!" she shouted. Tears streamed down her face, but she ignored them. "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE EVER AGAIN!"

Lucy threw something—some kind of jewelry box—in Natsu's direction. He didn't dodge.

"Listen to me, Lucy."

His eyes didn't meet hers.

Lucy's fingers clutched onto her bed's blankets, her breath coming out quick and heavy from her outburst.

When she spoke again, she was looking at anywhere except for him.

"Where's Happy?"

"He's not coming," Natsu said quickly. "He has Charle. He needs to stay here. He—"

"Doesn't know," Lucy spat out. The urge to throw something returned. "Neither does Gray or Erza. Neither does Master Makarov or Lisanna or Wendy or Gajeel or anyone else at the guild. Why," she covered her face to hide her tears from Natsu, "why did you only tell me? Why do you have to go? What can you _possibly_ be so desperate for that you choose to _leave Fairy Tail?_"

A pair of arms wrapped around her. Lucy gasped at the sudden warmth and tried to squirm out of Natsu's grasp.

"Stop, Natsu! I told you to get the hell away—"

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I'm sorry."

He kissed her.

And a second later, he vanished.

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Number one: You must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live.

Number two: You must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain.

Number three: Though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant , and you must never forget about your friends who loved you.

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On the top of the hill, the traveler glanced back at Magnolia, bag slung over his shoulder.

Seven years ago, he had arrived at this town and found a new family in Fairy Tail. Now, seven years later, he was leaving this town to search for the family he'd once had.

He couldn't tell Wendy or Gajeel because the Dragon Captor would kill Igneel on first sight.

He couldn't tell Erza or Gildarts or Makarov because they would insist on him staying.

He couldn't tell Gray because he would try to fight him before letting him go.

But he told Lucy, because he could never hide anything from her.

And at least, if he died on this quest of his, her voice would be the very last thing in his mind.

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**fin**


	2. Thirty Days

**title:** Thirty Days (part one...?)  
><strong>summary:<strong> If you wish your beloved to live, Titania, kill your friends. –Jellal/Erza (AU for Ultear's appearance.)  
><strong>prompt:<strong> Manipulate  
><strong>pairing(s):<strong> Jellal/Erza  
><strong>dedication:<strong> To _Demonchild177_, _MANGA1_, and _ShiningStellar_. Thank you for reviewing! 3

**a/n:** Requested by _PencilandKeyboard_ for a Jellal/Erza oneshot. :) Check out her Jellal x Erza community! (I'm staff. :D)  
>Warning: mediocre writing...<p>

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Erza's fist slammed onto the table.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS?"

The frog man wiped his sweaty face with a handkerchief. "F-forgive m-me. I-I-I am j-just a m-m-messenger, ma'am. I d-d-don't know w-w-where S-Siegrain-sama is." He flinched when Erza's eyes flared with anger. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"

Erza's fists clenched. The jailor cringed from her murderous aura.

It was just like the Council to do such a thing to spite Fairy Tail, she thought bitterly, announcing Jellal's release only to have him mysteriously die of disease a few days prior.

As of right now, he was in "critical health condition" and had been "removed to another cell for the time being," but Erza knew that, very soon, Jellal would be "pronounced dead" as even the "best medics" in Era could not save him.

Beneath her knuckles, the table cracked, and the messenger yelped in fear. Erza barely noticed.

No no no no no! This couldn't be happening! She—

She had been so sure it would all end today.

That Jellal would be released from prison, never to be trapped in darkness.

That he would join Fairy Tail with her, and experience the true freedom she had known.

That this goddamn fucking fiasco would finally, finally be over.

Titania was beyond rational thoughts now.

"Tell me—" at her command, a sword visualized by her side "—where Jellal Fernandes is—"

The frog attendant yelped when the weapon was pointed at his throat.

Erza lifted her head, and he could see hell in her eyes.

"—or I will _run you through with this sword!_"

"Stop it, Erza."

The blade dropped to the ground and disappeared in a beam of light.

Erza froze.

A hand reached down and jerked her chin sideways, forcing her to look left . . . where she saw all-too-familiar green eyes.

_Jellal's_ eyes.

"J-Jellal."

"Erza." Jellal smiled.

She stared.

And it was at the very moment the mage realized something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Because Erza recognized that smile.

It wasn't the Jellal Erza had met in Nirvana, the Jellal without the nightmares of his past that plagued his soul, the Jellal who cared for nothing more than the atonement of his sins.

No.

This man, the Jellal standing before her, was—

A sudden, choked gasp caused her to look down. To her horror, a blade of ice had punctured through the frog man's stomach.

Her immediate response was to reach for his falling, writhing body, but fingers around her arm stopped her.

"It's no use, Erza," Jellal said softly. "He's beyond help now."

Erza whipped around and threw a punch for the man's face. He caught her fist easily.

She glared at him. His smile never faded.

"Why are you doing this?" she shouted. Erza struggled to free herself, but Jellal's grip was too strong. "I thought you were—I thought you had—"

"You thought wrong."

Ultear of Grimoire Hearts appeared at the doorway, one hand extended forward.

The frog man gave one more choked gasp as the ice-made blade was retracted from his body. Then he was still.

Dead.

"Erza Scarlet." The mage smirked. "Are you not glad I have reunited with your beloved?"

"You fiend! You've killed—How—" Erza took a steady breath. Steely eyes glared at the dark-haired woman. "Why are you here and what have you done to Jellal?"

Beside her, Jellal chuckled. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against Erza's.

"Jealous?"

"_That's your precious 'freedom'! Go on and live while carrying the lives of your friends upon your back, Erza!"_

"No . . ."

This wasn't Jellal.

Erza tore herself away and knelt down, instantly requipping into her Heaven's Wheel armor. Twenty individual swords appeared in the air, all of them aiming for Ultear.

The black-haired woman smirked.

"Are you sure you want to do that, dear?"

Ultear Milkovich . . . this was the woman who manipulated Jellal and ruined the lives of countless individuals . . .

This woman, she was the one who brought so much misery upon her friends . . .

"Dance, my blades!" Titania shouted.

"Come to my, puppet—Fast forward!"

Beside Erza, Jellal's eyes suddenly glowed red. In a speed so fast Erza almost missed it, the man appeared in front of Ultear's body, as if shielding her.

_Damn this!_

The blades stopped one inch in front of the man's exposed throat.

The red light in his eyes faded.

For one moment, Jellal seemed to be absolutely terrified. He gazed at Erza, as if pleading.

"S-stay back, Er . . . za . . ."

His body shuddered once. Jellal then closed his eyes and sank to the floor.

"No—Jellal!"

Ultear took a look at his body, and _tsk_ed.

"This old tool's use is limited after all." She prodded him with one foot. "If it weren't for—"

Erza's fist clenched.

"You bitch . . . How—"

"Ah, no flaming arrows or flying spears this time, Titania? You're learning."

Ultear stepped over Jellal's body and walked towards Erza, who instantly reached for her sword.

"Your magic," Erza said, her eyes never leaving the other woman's face, "has to do with time. You can manipulate time of objects—but never living beings. How . . . ?"

The realization hit Erza like lightning.

"No . . . it can't be. You—"

"Killed Jellal Fernandes, and controlled his corpse to do my bidding?" Ultear laughed. "Close, Titania. Close. And how tempted I was to do so too! But no, I found a better use for his pathetic existence."

Erza raised her sword. "Tell me, Ultear, or I will force you to tell me by _sword point!_"

"You will never, as long as I have _him_."

Ultear's fingers hovered over Jellal's face. At once, the man began screaming of illusional horrors, his body thrashing about violently.

"Erza—h-help me! No! Run away, don't let her—"

"STOP THIS!"

"Hm? I'm afraid I can't quite hear you, Titania."

Ultear lifted a finger.

Jellal's back arched from the ground. "—AHHH—No no no—AHHHHHH—"

Erza finally gave up. She tossed away her sword and threw herself by Jellal's side, her armor dissolving behind her.

"Cease—cease this, Milkovich . . ."

Hearing this, Ultear waved her arm, and Jellal stopped screaming.

"What is this? The proud Titania, yielding?"

Erza dipped her head and did not speak. She refused to let Ultear see her tears, her weakness.

Titania was brave and prideful, but Erza Scarlet was just an insecure little girl who sought her friends' protection.

In the end, she was still weak.

Ultear _tut_ted. "Now, now. Don't cry, dear girl," she said softly, and then pulled up Erza's hair up roughly. "We're not done yet."

"I have submitted to you," Erza spat. "What more can you want?"

"Aye, aye. Now, as great as that sounds, we both know that if I kill you now it would do no more than set those pesky Fairies of yours at me." Ultear smiled. "What do you know of your namesake, Erza Scarlet? You are Titania, the foolish Fairy Queen who fell into King Oberon's trap, who was tricked by something as measly as a love potion, who was infatuated by an ass-head, whose stupidity then became well-known to the world as a result. Titania was easily manipulated by her emotions, and so are you."

Erza said nothing.

"If you want Jellal Fernandes to live, I have but one request." She smirked. "Kill Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel. In exchange for my mother's beloved pupil's and the Dragon Slayer's lives, I will spare your beloved.

"You have thirty days."

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**tbc, maybe**

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**a/n:** I feel so guilty for killing off ol' Frogman there. :(  
>Maybe I should write a oneshot about him too... :)<p>

Also, Just In Case:  
>Is this a GrayErza/Jellal? Or even a Natsu/Erza/Jellal?  
>Hm... There is no easy way to answer this question. Do fairies have tails? Do fairies even exist? It's an eternal mystery, and an eternal search for *blah blah blah, insert more words here that make a simple pun look deep*—<br>I don't think so, but it's probably going to happen anyway. :P The "standard couple" for me is Natsu/Lucy, Gray/Juvia (nicknamed by my brother: "Gravy"), Gajeel/Levy, and Jellal/Erza. Elfman/Evergreen is making its way up the list too. :) Buuut, I don't actively ship Fairy Tail, so I'm fine with almost any pairing.


	3. A Midsummer Nightmare

**title:** A Midsummer Nightmare 1/?  
><strong>summary:<strong> They told Levy hosting a play was a bad idea. She and Erza just wouldn't listen. —NaLu, GraJu, GaLev, JelEr, and ElfEv, pre-TimeSkip AU  
><strong>prompt:<strong> Change  
><strong>pairing(s):<strong> slight Natsu/Lucy, Gray/Juvia, Gajeel/Levy, Jellal/Erza, and even Elfman/Evergreen  
><strong>dedication:<strong> To _Yuki Kusanagi_, _ShiningStellar_, and _Lazy song_ for your wonderful reviews. :) To Shakespeare for writing the wonderful _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ and other fantastic plays.

**a/n:** This was written before the Time Skip, 'cuz I'm too lazy to change the stuff, and AU because of Jellal's appearance. This will be one of the to-be-continued stuff also, because... well, this chapter is kind of useless. Ahem.  
>But hey, at least I'm updating. :)<p>

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MAGNOLIA DAILY NEWS  
>Advertisement<p>

**YOU  
><strong>_are most_ Graciously Welcomed  
><em>to an<br>_Once In A Lifetime Opportunity  
><em>to<em> the play  
><strong>A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM<br>**_original play written by_ William Shakespeare  
><em>now performed by<em> _the_ One _and_ Only  
><strong>Fairy Tail Wizard Guild<br>**THIS FRIDAY  
>July <em>the<em> 15th  
>When the Clock Strikes Nine<p>

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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM  
>Dramatis Persons<br>_by order of appearance_

-Theseus, Duke of Athens  
><em>played by<em> **Jellal Fernandes**  
>-Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, betrothed to Theseus<br>_played by _**Erza Scarlet**  
>-Philostrate, Master of the Revels to Theseus<br>_played by_ **Pantherlily**

-Egeus, father of Hermia  
><em>played by<em> **Cana Alberona **  
>-Hermia, daughter of Egeus, in love with Lysander<br>_played by_ **Lucy H.**  
>-Lysander, an Athenian youth, in love with Hermia<br>_played by_ **Natsu Dragneel**  
>-Demetrius, an Athenian youth, in love with Hermia<br>_played by_ **Gray Fullbuster**  
>-Helena, in love with Demetrius<br>_played by_ **Juvia Lockser**

-Bottom, a weaver  
><em>played by<em> **Elfman**  
>-Quince, a carpenter<br>_played by_ **Lisanna**  
>-Snug, a joiner<br>_played by_ **Alzack Connell  
><strong>-Flute, a bellows-mender  
><em>played by<em> **Bickslow**  
>-Snout, a tinker<br>_played by _**Jet**  
>-Starveling, a tailor<br>_played by_ **Droy**

-Puck, or Robin Goodfellow  
><em>played by<em> **Wendy Marvell**  
>-Oberon, King of the Fairies<br>_played by_ **Freed**  
>-Titania, Queen of the Fairies<br>_played by_ **Evergreen  
><strong>-Pease-Blossom, Cobweb, Moth, Mustard-Seed  
><em>played by<em> **Gajeel Redfox**, **Happy**, **Charle**, and **Romeo**

Original Play _by_ **William Shakespeare**  
>Costume Designs <em>by<em> **Mirajane**, **Virgo**, **Erza Scarlet**, and **Bisca Mulan**  
>Backdrop <em>by<em> **Reedus Jonah**  
>Curtains <em>by<em> **Max Alors** and **Nab Lasaro**  
>Screen Adaptations <em>by<em> **Laki Olietta**, **Levy McGarden** and **Lucy H.**  
>Directed <em>by<em> **Levy McGarden**  
>Produced <em>by<em> **The Mages of Fairy Tail**  
>.<p>

Lucy seriously did not know how this happened.

Because god, she loved Levy and all, but how in the world did her friend get _everyone _in the entire guild to host "A Midsummer Night's Dream"?

"Do re mi fa sol la ti do, do ti la sol fa me re dooooooo!"

Lucy still managed to bang her head against the wall despite the horribly tight dress she had on.

Of course.

_Erza._

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It was opening night.

A huge crowd of people milled about the Fairy Tail guild, seating in neatly arranged chairs instead of the usual broken tables and shattered beer bottles.

Behind the scene, the fearless mages trembled.

"T-there are so many people," Wendy whispered, peering from the curtains.

Around her, the air seethed and stirred unsettlingly with her mood.

"Huh? Lemme see." Gray walked to Wendy after tugging on white gloves.

He poked his head through the red drapes, and froze.

"Look, right?" Wendy gulped and looked up, only to see an ice statue in place of her friend. "Hey—oh no! Gray! Gray!"

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On the other side of the stage, Celestial Spirit Cancer was finishing some last-minute touches to Erza's hair.

The scissors' clip-clip-clip stopped.

"This should do, ebi . . . choki." He swiveled the chair to face the mirror. "Is this hairstyle to your liking, ebi-choki?"

Juvia, Lucy, Bisca, and even Evergreen gasped.

Erza's red hair, braided with wildflowers, was tied up into an elegant bun. She wore a traditional ancient Greek style dress with a silk sheet wrapped around her torso. It was such a change from her usual steel-and-iron exterior, the only word to describe Erza then was . . . beautiful.

"H-h-how do I look?" she stammered, her eyes shut tight.

"Juvia thinks you look wonderful." Juvia nodded.

Lucy smiled. "Like an Amazon princess, ready to wed her beloved in four days."

Evergreen huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, that's the idea, isn't it?"

Erza seemed to finally gain enough courage to open one eye, and then another. Soon, even she was staring at her reflection in amazement.

"This is . . . me?"

"I must take my leave then, ebi . . . choki." Cancer tipped his head and disappeared.

Lucy thought he sounded just a bit smug.

The changing room door slammed open, revealing a very flustered Levy McGarden.

"Hermia and Helena—" she pointed a rolled-up scroll in Lucy and Juvia's directions "—get ready for your entrance in Act One. And Hippolyta—"

Erza saluted, actually _saluted_, to Levy.

"Aye, sir!" she shouted.

_Happy imitation . . . ? _Lucy thought with a sweat-drop.

To everyone's surprise, instead of shouting at Erza to hurry up and go to so-and-so for her cue (as she had been doing for the past week), Levy beamed.

"Erza." The grin widened. "Your lord is here."

Jellal Fernandes stepped through the doors.

When he saw Erza, Jellal smiled. He held out a hand, and numbly Erza took it.

In front of the four other girls in the room, Jellal bent down to kiss her hand.

"Art thy prepared, fair Hippolyta?"

Erza stuttered, "A-aye. S-sir."

After the two left the changing room, Lucy and Juvia giggled. Until, of course, Levy slapped her script against the wall.

"No more dilly-dallying." The crazed light in her eyes was back. "We start in fifteen minutes. You three better get prepared."

Levy left the girls cowering in the room and ran off screeching Gajeel's name.

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**tbc**

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**a/n:** I was seriously tempted to make Gray Titania and Natsu Oberon. Seriously, seriously tempted.

And yeah, see what I mean by this chapter being useless?  
>Sorry. D:<p> 


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